As a conventional technique, an alignment method for imprint lithography is known, in which an alignment process is carried out by using alignment marks respectively formed on a template for imprint and a substrate (U.S. Pat. No. 6,916,584).
In the template, a pattern region for forming a pattern to be a mask on a substrate is formed, and a groove for preventing the alignment marks from being filled in a resist material is formed between the pattern region and the alignment marks, because the alignment marks immerged in the resist material cannot be distinguished from the pattern region. Consequently, at the time of transferring the template pattern, the resist is absorbed in the groove of the template so that a substrate region exists that is not covered with the resist. After that, for example, when the substrate is etched by using the resist pattern as a mask, a pattern having a desired size may not be obtained due to an influence of the density of resist pattern.
Also, as the other conventional technique, a method is known that an imprint process is carried out by that a resist is also coated on a mark pattern formation region of a substrate. In the method, an imprint mold is used, that comprises a first pattern region configured by a plurality of first concave portions, and a second pattern region configured by a plurality of second concave portions for being used as an alignment mark. And, the first pattern region and the second pattern region have an equal height at their outermost surfaces, the first concave portions and the second concave portions have different depths each other, and the first pattern region and the second pattern region mutually have an equal cyclic interval.
However, when a resist pattern is formed by using the imprint mold, an alignment to patterns and marks of lower layers which have been already formed is needed, but the resist is filled in the whole of the pattern of the alignment part of the template, so that a high-accuracy alignment may not be carried out.